Natural light has become quite a buzzword in the photography world the past few years. We as photographers understand what it means but it can be confusing to clients or people who aren’t in the photography world. I’ve had many conversations with wedding professionals and potential brides alike about all of the misconceptions surrounding natural light photography, and I thought it would be a good time to dispel some of the myths.​First, let’s talk about what natural light photography is and what types of images it produces. Natural light photography means using available light (i.e., the sun) to create an image without the use of additional lighting sources (i.e., flash). You know what creates all those gorgeous, glowing engagement photos you see in your Instagram feed? Natural light. Or what creates light and airy bridal portraits? Natural light. Sure, you can use external lighting to create it but it’s not quite the same as the golden hour sunset.

As always, I want to give a disclaimer that all of this information is simply related to my style of photography. There are many photographers I admire who are not natural light photographers and that is OK! It works for them. Natural light and learning to manipulate it to create beautiful images is how I’ve developed my style and since there are many misconceptions, I want to educate brides about what it means for their wedding day.

​Misconception #1: Natural light photographers will only shoot your wedding if you do a first look.

Truth: In a word, no. In a few words, no no no. Someone told me this one time and it blew my mind. Do I love first looks? Of course. Can I still give you beautiful portraits if you choose not to do a first look? YES!

If I have a couple who doesn’t want to do a first look, I work with them on their ceremony timing to make sure we have enough available natural light after the ceremony to create those beautiful, romantic images they hired me to create. In the photo above, Brooke and Ben did not want to do a first look so we did their portraits after the ceremony and look how gorgeous they are.

Misconception #2: Natural light photographers can’t photograph a reception because it’ll be dark.

Truth: Before I answer this (because it’s a little sticky), please ask a photographer to see a full wedding gallery before you hire them so you can see what their reception photos look like. Most natural light photographers know how to use their flash enough to photograph your reception but there are a few (likely less experienced) photographers who dub themselves natural light because they do not know how to use their flash. This is a very rare case but it happens. Like I said, look at a photographer’s work — their blog, their portfolio, and their online wedding galleries — to make sure this doesn’t happen. The majority of the time, we work hard to make sure we know our flash and can create beautiful reception photos of your cake and your first dance without making it look like a bad family portrait from the 90s.

In the photo above at Megan and Brandon‘s wedding, I wanted to preserve the romanticism and emotion of the morning so I set my flash power low so as not to create harsh shadows or a flat image. I think it worked pretty well, don’t you?